flying wedge spaceship is a right triangle in side view At r

flying wedge spaceship is a right triangle in side view. At rest, the base and height (which form the 90° angle) measure 9.2 m and 4.5 m, respectively. As the ship moves parallel to its base with a speed of 0.85c past an observer on Earth, what does she measure the area of the side of the ship to be?

Solution

by phenomenon of length contraction

contracted length = original length * sqrt(1 - (v^2 / c^2))

for velocity 0.85c

contracted length = 9* sqrt(1 - 0.85^2)

contracted length = 4.74 m